Toledo, Ohio— The Toledo baseball team won its series opener against I-75 rival Bowling Green on Thursday, 11-6, to keep its Mid-American Conference Tournament hopes alive.

Tied at 6-6 in the bottom of the eighth inning, freshman Chris Meyers laced a single up the middle to score freshman Trace Hatfield and give the Rockets the lead. Sophomore Michael Ryan then homered to left field to extend the advantage to 9-6, while seniors Dalton Bollinger and Brad Boss both drove in runs to cap an exciting eighth inning.

Meyers led the Rockets with three RBIs on Thursday, while Bollinger, Boss, and Ryan drove in two apiece. Junior Ross Adolph went 2-for-3 at the plate with a pair of doubles and two runs scored. Senior Matt Hansen and Hatfield both tallied two hits for the Midnight Blue & Gold. Sophomore Joey Prechtel started on the mound and gave Toledo five innings. Junior Nate Haugh earned the win against the Falcons, throwing 3.1 scoreless innings while striking out two.

Due to an uncooperative weather forecast on Saturday, Toledo and Bowling Green will play a doubleheader on Friday beginning at Noon at Scott Park.

How it Happened

• The Rockets surrendered a run in the top of the first on a two-out single to left field to fall behind early.
• Toledo came right out and plated four runs in the bottom of the first, all with two outs. Adolph hustled out a double and later scored on Bollinger's single, then Boss singled up the middle to score Bollinger. Meyers' two-run double gave UT a 4-1 lead after one frame.
• An RBI triple from Jake Wilson brought BGSU to within two, 4-2.
• Adolph doubled again, this time ripping the first pitch he saw into the gap in left center field. Hansen scored to make it 5-2.
• Bowling Green's Randy Righter homered in the third and fifth innings to knot the score up at 5-5. His first home run was a two-run shot to left field, and his second one was a towering solo blast that led off the top of the fifth.
• Hatfield singled to center field to score Adolph and once again give Toledo the lead, 6-5.
• The Rockets ran into trouble in the top of the sixth and nearly escaped unscathed. However, with two strikes and the bases loaded, the 0-2 pitch sailed off course and plunked the BGSU hitter, forcing in a run to make the score 6-6.
• Toledo's bats exploded for five runs in the bottom of the eighth. Meyers drove in the go-ahead run on a single up the middle, scoring fellow freshman Hatfield. Ryan followed that up with a two-run homer to left field, his third of the season. Bollinger drew a bases loaded walk after being down 0-2, and Boss lifted a sacrifice fly to deep left field to wrap up the very successful eighth inning for the Rockets.